Frequently asked questions - My Abandonware

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an abandonware?

An abandonware is a game that is no longer sold by its company, in physical store or online. Abandonware has never been a clear category in software, sometimes the software editor or publisher simply closed or have been bought.
Many games get out of abandonware status now with GoG.com or Steam, although they do not always have support to make them running on recent computers. For more informations on abandonware, you may visit wikipedia.

Is it free? Is it legal?

We allow you download old games for free, but we do not take any responsibility for downloads considered illegal in your country. Please try to buy the game first : GoG.com, Steam, Amazon or eBay may be selling your game.

Is if safe?

We never modify the game archives we provide, but not all of them are tested by an antivirus. However, old DOS programs won't be able to contaminate your system.
You may check the game files with your antivirus software, and warn us if you get a warning. Also, we do not distribute malware, but we are not responsible for third party programs installed
after clicking on an ad displayed in our pages.

Do I have to register?

No, you can download at full speed when not registered. If you register, we may give you updates by mail. Comments are anonymous for now, you can't own a nickname.

How can I help?

We refuse donations but we would gladly accept help on the game catalog : missing screenshots mainly, game reviews or game playing instructions.
Finding missing games in the catalog can be great, we are looking for rare 80s and early 90s DOS titles, we can provide a list.
Anyway, start by dropping us a mail so we get to know each others.

You may also talk about us to your friends, on any social networks, your blog... Spread the word!

When do you release new games?

We release one game per week, every sunday morning. Some games may be randomly published during the week.

I can't play a game, can you help?

I can't download the game!?

We use a secure system to ensure the game files are not downloaded from another site. You have to display the game page first, then click on the download button. If you don't access our site in a fancy way,
you should be able to download immediately and at full speed.

Can you help me remember this game?

Can you add this game?!

We do not add games on request, except when you are willing to upload it to us. We rarely add games of the 2000 era, please don't ask except if you have a good reason to make it available on MyAbandonware.

The game asks for a code in the manual!

A classic game protection in the 80s and early 90s was to ask for specific texts found in the printed game manual. Most of the time, our game archives are cracked, meaning you don't have to enter anything at all,
or enter any characters, then hit enter.

Try to do this first, if it's still not working, you should google the game name + manual and use the scanned manual. Drop us a mail then with the attached manual, we will upload it.
If the manual can't be found, send us a mail, we'll see what we can do.

Slow downloads

Our servers are really fast but located in France. If you get slow downloads, we can't do anything about it, you will have to be patient.